News about reptiles and amphibians. This may be news from herpetologists, organizations, but also from private persons. Everyone is welcome to send me some news about the protection, abusing, mistreatment, discoveries, etc., of these fascinating animals .

woensdag 11 januari 2012

Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species to be Brought Back from Extinction

09 January 2012GALAPAGOSCONSERVANCYWASHINGTON, DC
Through a combination of cutting edge genetic research and time-tested field work, scientists have determined that a Galapagos
Giant Tortoise species long thought to be extinct in the wild may still
be living on the northern end of the island of Isabela, a few hundred kilometers from Floreana, their island of origin.
This week a team of scientists from a number of institutions led by
researchers in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at Yale
University are reporting new evidence that pure Floreana tortoises (Chelonoidis elephantopus) may still exist on Wolf Volcano on the north end of the island of Isabela.

These results, funded in part by Galapagos Conservancy, provide great
hope for recovery of this species, thought to be extinct for nearly 150
years. Having previously found a small number of hybrid tortoises on
Wolf Volcano, scientists returned in December 2008 to obtain blood
samples from a total of 1669 individuals, approximately 20% of the
estimated current tortoise population.
Results reported this week indicate that 84 tortoises were found whose DNA
show that they resulted from hybridization events involving a pure
Floreana tortoise as one of their immediate parents. Thirty of the 84
tortoises were determined to be less than 15 years old – indicating that
the likelihood of pure Floreana tortoises still roaming the slopes of
Wolf Volcano is quite high. Historical records indicate that tortoises
were often moved between islands by whalers and other visitors to
Galapagos in the 18th and 19th centuries, and many ended up on Wolf
Volcano. These historical records provide an explanation for the
unusually wide range of tortoise types found there — a population mix
that would not be expected to occur naturally.

G. Becky tortoises (top photo) are native to Isabela Island in the
Galapagos chain and have a distinctly domed shape shell, while the
tortoise in the bottom photo is a hybrid with C. elephantopus, a species
native to Floreana Island some 200 miles south of Wolf Volcano on
northern Isabela. Until recently, C. elephantopus was thought to be
extinct. Genetic analysis of a tortoise population on Isabela Island
suggests purebred individuals of C. elephantopus must still be alive on
Isabela.

“Galapagos tortoise populations have benefited from a long and
successful history of captive breeding and repatriation,” reports
Galapagos Conservancy’s Science Advisor Dr. Linda Cayot, whose work as
head of herpetology at the Charles Darwin Foundation in Galapagos
spanned more than a decade. “With these data in hand, the Galapagos
National Park will be able to embark on a rescue mission for the
Floreana Giant Tortoise species. We are extremely grateful to all the
institutions who have worked together to bring us to this exciting
moment.”
These findings come just as the Galapagos National Park, the Charles
Darwin Foundation, and others are in the initial years of Project
Floreana – aimed at restoring that island to a more pristine condition
and ensuring a sustainable community for its human inhabitants. Says Dr.
Cayot, “Returning true Floreana tortoises as part of that effort is now
a dream that could come true.”

If interested, check out this additional information on tortoise repatriation and Project Floreana: